1 Samuel 25:22

King James Version

So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
May God punish me and do so severely if I let any of his males survive until morning.”

Hebrew Names Version
God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that belongs to him by the morning light so much as one man-child.

Lexham English Bible
May God severely punish the enemies of David and again do thus if I leave behind anything that is his until the morning, not even one male!"

English Standard Version
God do so to the enemies of David and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him."

New Century Version
May God punish my enemies even more. I will not leave one of Nabal's men alive until morning."

New English Translation
God will severely punish David, if I leave alive until morning even one male from all those who belong to him!"

Amplified Bible
"May God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by morning I leave [alive] even one male of any who belong to him."

New American Standard Bible
"May God do so to the enemies of David, and more so, if by morning I leave alive as much as one male of any who belong to him."

Geneva Bible (1587)
So and more also doe God vnto the enemies of Dauid: for surely I will not leaue of all that he hath, by the dawning of the day, any that pisseth against the wall.

Legacy Standard Bible
May God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by morning I leave as much as one male of any who belong to him."

Contemporary English Version
I swear that by morning, there won't be a man or boy left from his family or his servants' families. I pray that God will punish me if I don't do it!"

Complete Jewish Bible
Then he swore, "May God do the same and more to David's enemies if I leave alive even one male of everything he owns."

Darby Translation
So and more also do God to the enemies of David, if I leave of all that is his by the morning light any male.

Easy-to-Read Version
I swear, I won't let even one man in Nabal's family live until tomorrow morning."

George Lamsa Translation
The LORD do so and more also to his servant David, if I leave of all that belongs to him by morning any mature male.

Good News Translation
May God strike me dead if I don't kill every last one of those men before morning!"

Literal Translation
So may God do to the enemies of David, and may He do more so, if I leave any of all that is to him to the light of the morning, of one who urinates against a wall.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
God do this and yet more vnto the enemies of Dauid, yf vntyll tomorow in the mornynge I leaue this man (of all that he hath) so moch as one that maketh water agaynst ye wall.

American Standard Version
God do so unto the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light so much as one man-child.

Bible in Basic English
May God's punishment be on David, if when morning comes there is so much as one male of his people still living.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
So and more also do God vnto the enemies of Dauid, if I leaue of all that pertayne to him by the dawnyng of the day, any that pysseth against the wall.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
God do so unto the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light so much as one male.'--

King James Version (1611)
So and more also doe God vnto the enemies of Dauid, if I leaue of all that pertaine to him by the morning light, any that pisseth against the wall.)

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
So God do to David and more also, if I leave one male of all that belong to Nabal until the morning.

English Revised Version
God do so unto the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light so much as one man child.

Berean Standard Bible
May God punish David, and ever so severely, if I let one of his men survive until morning."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The Lord do these thingis, and adde these thingis to the enemyes of Dauid, if Y schal leeue of alle thingis that perteynen to him til the morewe a pisser to the wal.

Young's Literal Translation
thus doth God do to the enemies of David, and thus He doth add, if I leave of all that he hath till the light of the morning -- of those sitting on the wall.'

Update Bible Version
God do so to David, and more also, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light so much as one urinating against a wall.

Webster's Bible Translation
So and more also do God to the enemies of David, if I leave of all that [pertain] to him by the morning light any male person.)

World English Bible
God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that belongs to him by the morning light so much as one man-child.

New King James Version
May God do so, and more also, to the enemies of David, if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light."

New Living Translation
May God strike me and kill me if even one man of his household is still alive tomorrow morning!"

New Life Bible
May God do the same to David and more, if I leave until morning as much as one male alive of all who belong to him."

New Revised Standard
God do so to David and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So may God do to David and so may he add, if I leave remaining, of all that he hath, until the morning, - so much as a little boy.

Douay-Rheims Bible
May God do so and so, and add more to the foes of David, if I leave of all that belong to him till the morning, any that pisseth against the wall.

Revised Standard Version
God do so to David and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"May God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by morning I leave as much as one male of any who belong to him."

Contextual Overview

¹⁸ Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses. ¹⁹ And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal. ²⁰ And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert on the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them. ²¹ Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good. ²² So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall. ²³ And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, ²⁴ And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid. ²⁵ Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send. ²⁶ Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the Lord hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. ²⁷ And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

So and more: Nothing can justify this conduct of David, which was rash, unjust, and cruel in the extreme. David himself condemns it, and thanks God for being prevented from executing this evil - 1 Samuel 25:32-34. 1 Samuel 3:17, 1 Samuel 14:44, 1 Samuel 20:13, 1 Samuel 20:16, Ruth 1:17

if I leave: 1 Samuel 25:34

any that pisseth: etc. This seems to have been a proverbial expression among the Israelites; and may with the utmost propriety be read "any male." 1 Kings 14:10, 1 Kings 16:11, 1 Kings 21:21, 2 Kings 9:8

Reciprocal: Leviticus 5:4 - to do evil 1 Samuel 25:37 - had told him 2 Samuel 3:9 - So do God 2 Samuel 12:5 - David's 2 Kings 6:31 - God do so Proverbs 15:1 - grievous Ecclesiastes 7:9 - hasty Matthew 14:9 - the oath's 1 Corinthians 13:4 - vaunteth not itself

Cross-References

1 Samuel 9:9
(Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.)

1 Samuel 10:22
Therefore they enquired of the Lord further, if the man should yet come thither. And the Lord answered, Behold he hath hid himself among the stuff.

1 Samuel 22:15
Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more.

1 Samuel 28:6
And when Saul enquired of the Lord , the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

1 Samuel 30:8
And David enquired at the Lord , saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

Ezekiel 20:31
For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God , I will not be enquired of by you.

Ezekiel 36:37
Thus saith the Lord God ; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

So and more also do God unto the enemies of David,.... Give them as much health and prosperity, as much wealth and riches, as Nabal has, and much more:

if I leave of all that [pertain] to him, by the morning light, any that pisseth against the wall; which is generally understood of a dog, that he, would not leave him so much as a dog: but it is better, with Ben Gersom, to interpret it of the males in his house, himself, his sons, and servants; and so the Targum paraphrases it of reasonable creatures, of such

"that know knowledge,''

or are knowing and understanding creatures; it seems to have been towards the evening; of the day when David was marching towards Nabal's house, designing to fall upon him and his, amidst their jollity that night, and cut them all off before morning. This must be imputed to the sudden and violent passion David was thrown into when off his guard, through the necessity he was in, the disappointment he met with, and the opprobrious language he was treated with; but in this his conduct was not as it used to be, and as it was towards Saul his enemy. Nor is his rage and passion to be vindicated, or the rash vow he made to destroy Nabal and his family; his crime, though great, yet not to be published with death; his ingratitude and insolence deserved resentment, but were not capital crimes worthy of death, and especially of the destruction of his whole family; the Jews indeed make him to be guilty of treason, in that he knew that David was anointed king, and yet both abused him, and disobeyed his commands, and therefore being guilty of overt acts of treason, he and his were deserving of death; but David was not yet king.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The concluding phrase denotes the utter destruction of a family, and is rightly explained to mean “every male,” perhaps with the idea, “down to the very meanest member of the household.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 25:22. So and more also do God — Nothing can justify this part of David's conduct. Whatever his provocation might have been, he had suffered, properly speaking, no wrongs; and his resolution to cut off a whole innocent family, because Nabal had acted ungenerously towards him, was abominable and cruel, not to say diabolic. He who attempts to vindicate this conduct of David is, at least constructively, a foe to God and truth. David himself condemns this most rash and unwarrantable conduct, and thanks God for having prevented him from doing this evil, 1 Samuel 25:32, c.

Any that pisseth against the wall. — This expression certainly means either men or dogs, and should be thus translated, if I leave-any male and this will answer both to men and dogs, and the offensive mode of expression be avoided. I will not enter farther into the subject: Bochart and Calmet have done enough, and more than enough; and in the plainest language too.